Paul returns to Rio de Janeiro ahead of two hugely anticipated live dates in the city

Brazil braced itself for a bout of Macca mania last night as Paul
McCartney arrived in Rio de Janeiro for the next two dates on his
ongoing Up & Coming Tour, which has already played to over 750,
000 people.

Twenty one years on from Paul’s last live show in Rio, fans
have waited a long time to see their hero return to their home city
and they will finally be rewarded this week with not one but two live
dates on Sunday and Monday night at the Estadio Olimpico. The stadium,
which was built in 2007 and has a capacity of nearly 50, 000, is the
home of football club Botafogo and will be used to host the athletics
competitions at the 2016 Summer Olympics. It is the first time ever
that this stadium is being used for a rock concert. Paul’s
appearance there on Sunday night will be exactly six months and one
day since his last show in Brazil.

Fans in the city certainly gave him a warm welcome on his return to
Rio last night. Huge numbers of fans had gathered outside Paul’s
hotel chanting his name and singing songs hours before he even arrived
in Brazil. Hundreds more had camped outside the stadium itself, in
what has become some what of a tradition in South America – the
McCartney Village; originally started on Paul’s last trip to
Brazil where he was welcomed by a massive group of fans who had formed
a real community camped outside the venue in anticipation of seeing
their idol. This tradition has continued through to this date in Rio,
with all the camping fans hoping to get the best possible position at
the front once the doors finally open ahead of the most hotly
anticipated live date in town. Those out front were in for an early
treat too when Paul visited the stadium to rehearse yesterday. Fans
couldn’t believe their luck as they realised they could hear the
man himself playing, long before the show itself was due to begin.

“I can’t believe I got to hear Paul rehearse!”
said one fan, Ana Alencar, 26 from Angra dos Reis. “I’ve
been camping outside for two days now so I get a good spot inside, and
hearing him play before the concert has made it all worthwhile. I
can’t wait for the show itself now!”

The whole city is now gearing up for tonight’s concert
too. McCartney tracks can be heard all over Rio, playing in every bar
and restaurant, while the streets are thronged with fans wearing Macca
t-shirts on their way to the Estadio Olimpico. After twenty one years
of waiting, they are guaranteed the night of their lives.